Anambra seeks prosecutions over alleged denial of women’s inheritance
Anambra State’s attorney-general has asked police to investigate complaints that women and girls are being prevented from inheriting family property. Tobechukwu Nweke said the practice is criminalised under the state’s Violence Against Persons law and instructed that case files be sent to his office for prosecution.
The Anambra State Government has begun steps to prosecute people accused of denying women and girls the right to inherit property because of their gender. Attorney-General Tobechukwu Nweke requested in a letter to the Nigeria Police Force that complaints be thoroughly investigated and that resulting case files be sent to his ministry for prosecution. The letter, which he signed, was made available to journalists on Tuesday.
Nweke said there had been several cases in which girls were prevented from inheriting property belonging to their parents. Such exclusions have been defended by some people as customs or traditional practices in the region. The attorney-general said those practices remained unlawful despite Supreme Court decisions declaring customs that prevent females from inheriting property unconstitutional and illegal.
He asked the police to ensure that reported cases of gender-based disinheritance were investigated. The letter said the practice constituted an offence under Section 22 of Anambra State’s Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law, 2017. It said offenders could face up to four years in prison.
Nweke designated the ministry’s Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Unit to prosecute alleged offenders under the state law. The unit will also handle the prosecution of other domestic violence and sexual-offence cases, according to the letter. The directive places responsibility on the police to receive and investigate complaints before transmitting case files to the attorney-general’s office.
The source material does not provide details of any individual arrest, charge or court case arising from the initiative. The move represents an enforcement response to claims that discriminatory inheritance practices continue despite judicial rulings. It also identifies gender-based denial of property rights as a matter for criminal investigation rather than solely a family or customary dispute.
The government’s announcement did not specify how many complaints had been received or give a timetable for the investigations. It said only that the police had been asked to act on reported cases and forward the relevant files for further legal action.
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